Ajiri’s Kickstarter campaign

Tea Report June 2015

The Ajiri Tea Foundation, whose aim is to create a sustainable trade cycle that helps to create jobs and provide education for orphans in western Kenya, have just finished filming for their upcoming Kickstarter campaign.

Sarah and Kate Holby, who founded Ajiri Tea in 2008, hope to raise enough money to put their tea into teabags and pack them into envelopes in order to help get the teas into foodservice outlets. The teas will then reach a wider market and bring higher profits for investment in the Foundation’s education program.

The range of teas, which includes Kenya black tea and a number of flavored Kenya blends, are currently sold in more than 500 stores in the US and elsewhere. Profits are sponsor 29 students in school and employ 60 women in Kenya.

The women make labels for the tea packs and, through the Foundation’s micro-savings system known as ‘Merry-Go-Round’, they each put a portion of their earnings into a collective pot and, each month, this pot of money is given to a different member of the group. The women have used the money to make larger investments such as renting land, buying cows, and most important, paying for their own children's school fees.

And after a year-long effort, the women have been able to open bank accounts and secure their savings. Sara Holby was recently awarded the 2015 Leadership Award for Citizenship from the Specialty Food Association. This award recognizes her commitment to creating sustainable employment and education in Kenya, and of course, selling a delicious cup of tea along the way! The photo above shows Ajiri’s two Field-Coordinators in Kenya, Duncan Mochache and Regina Moraa with Sarah and Kate.